Post-TDM Arms Manufacture

[Raellus]

In doing research for a little side project, I came across this strange little late-WWII weapon...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkssturmgewehr_1-5

It's basically a fairly crude, semi-automatic rifle that fires the same cartridge, from the same magazine, used in the better known and overall more advanced Sturmgewehr 44 (a precursor of the original AK-47).

... and it got me to thinking about arms and ammunition manufacturing after the TDM. I've also been following the thread on bows and arrows and blunderbusses and that's not quite what I have in mind.

What other examples of simple, military grade weapons are out there? Canon already has the M-16EZ and the RL AR-15 is a similar concept. I'm looking for things that can be made in damaged factories, small machine shops, garages, and the like- weapons that are simpler and require less hi-tech materials than current, standard issue weapons but that could/would still be issued to military, paramilitary/militia units. I'm not talking single-shot zip gun type weapons. Somewhere in between an M-16A2 and a zip gun is what I'm looking for.

[jester]

It is so simple!

I am thinking SIMPLE technology!

For rifles I am going to go with at least in the US these two:

AR-180 or AR-18, a weapon made as a cheap replacement for the M16, it is a stamped reciever, with internals similiar to the AK. Easily made, the hardest part the Barrel, but then again with a plethora of M16 barrels available it would be a great problem.

Miini 14 by Ruger. This is a simple robust weapon that is common in the US, and it is did I say, SIMPLE!! It has a gas design similiar to the M1 Garand or the M-14 or the FN, it is of carbine length, light, fires the 5.56 cartridge and really pretty simple. I love mine! It is not a precision piece that the 16 is, but it will do the job out to 300m. And it is alot more forgiving to dirt, dust, carbon buildup and lack of cleaning. Oh yeah it also uses military ammo and it also can be had in the AK 7.62 round too. And it has a bunch of military type accessories which make it freaky cool too!

SMGs

MAC 10/11 series!

They are small, they are blowback, they are SMALL <meaning less parts and metal> a barrel, a reciever, a trigger group and a magazine and you have a weapon! The reciever is stamped metal, the trigger is the major portion really. These in my T2K world are one of the most common weapons a favored of the New Americans.

M3 Grease Guns; a simple SMG not as simple as the MAC types but almost. These are liberaly issued to MilGov and some CivGov domestic forces. A simple weapon firing a common .45 cartridge. And it was the cool weapon in all of the old movies like "The Dirty Dozen" so there would be a familiarity.

A bolt action rifle, akin to the Mauser or 03 but much cruder of course is going to be common having been made in alot of smaller shops.

Pistols, eh, I don't give them alot of thought. They for what they give verses the cost to make in terms of manpower and materials aren't worth it.

And for machineguns! I would think a simple recoil operated machinegun, and something magazine fed as well, or maybe clip fed or even hopper fed. This will save on links. But, something like the Bren would be a good design, or a LEWIS or a old Maxin/1919 Browing design with a feed system using a hopper or magazine, since they are recoil operated and strong designs. Or, if you could come up with the old style fabric belts that you could reload then that would work too.

I can also see the following weapons also being made:

Single and double barrel shotguns being made, these are perfect for untrained militia. The aiming is forgiving. And a simple breachloading design is easy and simple to reload. Amo is simple to reload.

A single shot rifle either break action like a shotgun, or a rolling block action like a remington rolling block or the Martini Henry would be simple and make a decent easily made weapon for a low tech society.

[StainlessSteelCynic]

I agree with most of Jester's suggestions but not all of them, definitely the AR-18 would be a good prospect as it was designed for manufacture in simple machineshops.
The M3 SMG is not such a good choice as it required some intensive lathing to produce the bolt and a lot of other machining was required for other parts. A more easily constructed SMG than the M3 is the Plumber's Nightmare AKA the Sten Gun, able to be made in a home workshop as evidenced by the numbers made by Resistance members in German occupied countries during WW2.
However, google for Chechen homemade guns and see what can be done with minimal equipment.

[Legbreaker]

Originally Posted by jester

It is not a precision piece that the 16 is...

Not sure if I should take that as sarcasm or feel sorry you've never had your hands on anything truely accurate!

[jester]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

Not sure if I should take that as sarcasm or feel sorry you've never had your hands on anything truely accurate!

I was stating it as fact. The mini 14 isn't the precision weapon the 16 is. The rifling and sights just aren't as robust. However, it is accurate enough out to 300m to be effective.

As for precision, I have a Savage "beanfield" rifle <heavy barrel> in .300 Wing Mag, alas the weapon has better ability for accuracy than I can be accurate, but I can still put most rounds on target at 500m with my garand.

Speaking of which, I need to go to the range, its been far to long

[Webstral]

Loompanics, when it was still in operation, had a plethora of books on garage manufacture of firearms, in addition to explosives and just about every other sruvivalist topic one could imagine. Paladin Press has taken over some of the titles, of not all. If one has the proper tools, functional weapons can be manufactured on a very low scale. If one has some gunsmithing gear, some very serviceable weapons can be crafted.

It seems to me that the real tricks in the post-Exchange world are mass production, reliability of the weapons produced, and safety of the workers. It's all well and good to produce a highly accurate bolt action rifle, but if the gunsmith can only make a dozen a year he isn't paying his way in the Twilight: 2000 world. Similarly, one can't have Wojo factories everywhere. Lastly, it's possible quickly to make firearms that will function for a short time but give out at the wrong time. Then there's the matter of proper raw materials.

Properly equipped gunsmiths will be worth ten times their weight in aviation fuel in 2000.

Webstral

[TiggerCCW UK]

I shot the AC556 a few times years ago when it was the standard police longarm over here. Liked it a lot. Plus it was the 'A-Team' weapon of choice. Doesn't come much higher recommended than that

[Rainbow Six]

Originally Posted by TiggerCCW UK

Plus it was the 'A-Team' weapon of choice. Doesn't come much higher recommended than that

Er, doesn't that make it one of the most ineffective weapons ever produced given that for all the rounds they fired they never seemed to manage to hit anyone never mind kill them?